


Kim Junhee Investigates

by The_Consulting_Werewolf



Series: The Krisho Whodunit Files [3]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Blood, Character Death, F/M, Murder Mystery, fem!Junmyeon, we are bringing Junhee back, we are in the 70s
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 20:55:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16920228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Consulting_Werewolf/pseuds/The_Consulting_Werewolf
Summary: It is the 70s, and Junhee likes knee-high socks. And solving murders with the handsome new neighbour of course.





	Kim Junhee Investigates

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is just an excuse for me to write a fem!Junmyeon in high socks, ribbons and plaid skirts. The murder mystery just happened.
> 
> Also, story largely inspored by an episode from the British TV show, Inspector Morse.
> 
> The explicit tag exists for like one rated scene between characters that aren't Krisho and for some swearing at the end.

The morning service at the small chapel is coming to a close. Not a lot of people are in attendance. Among the five or so people, there sits Kim Junhee and her father at one of the pews. Then, at the very back sits the organist’s wife, Kim Taeyeon. Junhee looks around since she is thoroughly bored. The gloomy atmosphere of the chapel and the whitewashed wall is making her sleepy and her father will have her head if she dozed off in chapel for three consecutive Sundays.

She turns her head around and finds a new face sitting on a bench in front of Taeyeon, engrossed in his psalm book. Junhee frowns; she knows everyone in this neighbourhood, she can vouch she has never seen this man before. He doesn’t look to be that older than her. He has dark, long hair with his bangs kissing his eyebrows, high cheekbones, a round nose and rather nice lips. As she stares, the man looks up and Junhee, if she was like all the other girls in her college, would be coy and look away, but she isn’t. So, she smiles at him and even gives him a little wave. She almost laughs out loud when the man blushes and looks away. His ears are red as well and Junhee grins.

Then, the doors creak open slightly and a man dressed in a tattered coat and a hat covering his head enters. Junhee looks at him for a moment, wondering. He sits down at the very back as well and pulls his hat over his face, obscuring his identity. Junhee can’t help but scowl.

Her father clears his throat, obviously noticing his child is no longer paying attention. Junhee smiles in apology and pays attention, even though she has no idea what the pastor, Choi Siwon, is saying. The pastor is a rather handsome man and she bets the only reason Mrs. Jung—two rows in front of her—skips her early morning Sunday gossip session at the salon is because of the man. Speaking of Mrs. Jung, her sister-in-law, Soojung, is in attendance as well, sitting beside Taeyeon. Junhee hears they are friends, but it always seemed so incredulous that those two women would be close to each other. Taeyeon, the glamorous busybody, and Soojung, the rather meek woman still under control of her ruthless mother.

The service finally finishes and Junhee jumps up from her seat, ready to head home and make some lunch while solving the crossword puzzle. She is walking down the aisle when she halts as she hears Soojung talk to the new man. Junhee stops by her and says, “Morning unnie!”

Soojung looks to her and smiles, “Hello Junhee. Come meet our new neighbour, he is Mrs. Han’s new lodger, Wu Yifan.”

Said lodger is sort of gobsmacked by the woman Soojung-sshi called Junhee. She is the same girl who smiled at him, and up close, he sees she is rather beautiful with her almond-shaped eyes covered by heavy bangs and her lips are rosy. He notices she has a large red bow in her hair, matching her red sweater vest. He clears his throat and says, “He-hello, I am Wu Yifan.”

“Kim Junhee!” she extends her hand and adds, “So, are you here to attend college?”

Yifan widens his eyes slightly, “Uh, yes. How, how did you know?”

Junhee giggles, “You don’t look any older than me and the name is foreign, right? So, am I right?”

Yifan nods and Soojung chuckles, “Sorry, I forgot to mention, Junhee is our very own Sherlock Holmes.”

Junhee tugs at her bow and her smile widens. “Ah, unnie, I wouldn’t go so far.”

The doors to the chapel creak open and the tramp Junhee had seen entering leaves, and Soojung looks at him fleetingly. A moment later, someone screams and they look to find Taeyeon screaming standing behind the screen where the organ is kept. Soojung goes to her and Junhee follows. Junhee’s father just sighs and Yifan is a tad bit confused but he takes tentative steps towards the commotion as well.

When they all get there, they find a man on the ground, his head covered in blood at the foot of the organ. Taeyeon sways, her face pale and Soojung holds her. Junhee gets a glimpse of the bashed in head and the pool of blood before she hears Yifan gasping and stepping back to dry heave. Junhee wouldn’t blame him. Whoever hit the man did him a number. His entire face was smashed in and she is pretty sure there is brain tissue covering the floor.

Junhee’s father is a police officer, thankfully, and he takes one look before ordering, “Okay, please step back. No one goes near the body.”

Taeyeon, who still looks she might faint anytime, mumbles, “Baekhyun…”

Junhee’s eyebrows rise up her forehead. The mashed potato of a head is the chapel’s treasurer? She wants to take a closer look but she catches her father’s stern gaze and steps back with a small smile on her face. She can always sneak into his office and look for information later. Or bribe the coroner ahjussi with candy. Either way, she knows how to get her way.

She turns around to find Yifan sitting on a bench, head in his arms. She takes pity on him and walks up to him. She sits down beside him and softly says, “Hey.”

Yifan looks at her, his eyes wide and his lips trembling. “Hi?”

Junhee presses her lips, feeling bad for this foreigner who just landed in Seoul and is now involved in a murder investigation. “I know this isn’t the best reception…”

Yifan mumbles, “Sure isn’t.”

Junhee gets to her feet and grabs Yifan’s arm who yelps and stumbles when Junhee drags him to his feet. She looks over to the organ and finds the organist Kim Jongdae there as well, looking pale. Even the pastor looks ill as her father instructs them to stay in place till his colleagues arrive. Junhee turns to look at Yifan again and says, “Would you like to leave?”

“Is it, is it okay to leave?” Yifan asks.

“Yes!” Junhee nods. “Dad won’t mind.”

And Yifan can’t say anything to that, so he lets her drag him out of the chapel. Her fingers are still curled around his wrist and he notes her nails are painted pink and the paint is slightly chipped. They walk down a lane till they stop in front of a two storeyed house. She waves at it and smiles, “My home! I am going to do the neighbourly thing and invite you in for some tea!”

Yifan wants to refuse because it is okay to walk into a woman’s house without a chaperone around? His mother had strictly told him to never do that but before he can open his mouth, he is already being dragged inside.

The house is simple, neat and clean. She pulls him to the kitchen and pushes him down on a chair. She fills a kettle with water and puts it on the stove. “I have some green tea, and some yellow tea, which would you prefer?”

“Either is fine Junhee-sshi,” he says, slightly transfixed at the small S the end of her hair makes as it swishes along with her movements.

Junhee chuckles as she pulls out cups, “You don’t have to address me so formally Yifan, just call me Junhee.”

While the kettle boils, Junhee sits down opposite him and asks, “So, tell me about you!”

Yifan tells her he is twenty years old (a year older than her), he is from Guangzhou and he is attending Yonsei University, pursuing engineering. Yifan also talks to her about his love of bridges and highways, and his initial difficulty learning a new language, and he finds it surprisingly easy to talk to her. She seems interested, and invested, and asks him all the right questions. The water is boiled somewhere in between and Yifan doesn’t even notice when a cup of tea is pushed towards him.

Yifan laughs, feeling embarrassed as he realises, “I have been talking, what about you, uh, Junhee?”

“Oh, I am going to Ewha, public administration,” then she pouts, “Which I am doing because my father wants me to. I just really want to join the police academy but he won’t allow till I graduate from somewhere.” She rolls her eyes and blows over the steam rising from her cup.

Yifan grins, and Junhee looks up from her cup to catch his pleasant gummy smile. “So, you want to be a police officer?”

Junhee nods. “Yep! My grandpa was a detective, my dad is one too and I want to keep the family tradition going.”

Yifan sips his tea—it is green tea she prepared. “Soojung-sshi said you were the neighbourhood’s Sherlock Holmes?”

Junhee laughs, “I just help with solving the local curiosities! My dad hates it but he doesn’t discourage me.”

Yifan tilts his head to the side, slightly confused, “Local curiosities?”

Junhee then tells him about the small mysteries she solves every now and then. She is telling him of the recent robbery she helped her father with when the man himself enters the house. Yifan gets to his feet, bowing. Kim Junhyung smiles, “Sit, sit. Do you have some of the tea for me Jun?”

“Yep!”

As Junhee makes him a cup, Junhyung looks at Yifan and with a somber voice, says, “I am sorry your initial introduction to Sinchon had to be that way.”

Yifan shakes his head. “No, sir, I mean—”

Junhee puts down the tea for her dad on the table and takes her seat again. She leans on the table and her eyes are glimmering as she asks, “So, who was it?”

Junhyung looks at his daughter, half in exasperation and the other half in fondness. He knows her daughter is smart, a damn prodigy if he may say so himself, but she is still so young and he wants to keep her away from this world. But there is no stopping her, so he sighs and answers, “It was Byun Baekhyun, the chapel’s treasurer, Jung Soojung confirmed for us.” 

“Soojung? Why Soojung?” Junhee frowns.

“Mrs Byun was too distraught, and she fainted right after you left, so we let her off.”

Junhee narrows her eyes, her brain whirring. Soojung confirmed the body of a man who has nothing to do with her? Suspicious...however, her train of thought is derailed when she hears her father say, “So, son, Yonsei, huh?”

Her father asks Yifan a million questions next and Junhee zones out, trying to figure out why Soojung was chosen to confirm the body.

 

A couple of days later, the chapel offer a special service to pay condolences to Byun Baekhyun with the funeral. The coroner had released the body last night and Taeyeon and Soojung worked together to arrange everything. Junhee skipped the ribbon today and just used a clip to hold her hair in place. She doesn’t see many people attending today either. Just her, her father, Jongdae and his son, Donghyuck, and a handful other neighbours. Siwon is presiding over as usual.

Speeches and tears aside, the services doesn’t last too long. Junhee for some reason keeps staring at Soojung and Taeyeon, the latter woman slumped into the former, wiping her nose. Junhee also notices Jongdae moving closer to Taeyeon and patting her back. But there is something in it—he just doesn’t just pat, he is rubbing her back in circles. It looks too intimate.

The service ends and the mass moves on to the hearse parked in front. Taeyeon and Jongdae will accompany Baekhyun to the crematorium. She skipped her morning classes, and her father will ground her for life if she were to miss the afternoon classes, so she heads for her college right away. Her brain is still whirring, a hundred questions in her mind. Something is off, so very off.

Physically, Junhee is in her Financial Administration class, but mentally, she is back at the chapel. Her father let her know that the cause of death was blunt force trauma on the day of the funeral and currently, they are looking for a tramp in a tattered jacket, the very same tramp Junhee had seen, considering him to be the main suspect. But why would a random man kill Baekhyun?

Someone elbows her under her ribs and she bites back the hiss to find her classmate, and friend, Minseo glaring at her, “Pay attention! I am not helping you with notes again.”

Junhee pouts but tries to bring herself to listen to whatever the professor is drawling on and on about. She makes it through the class and the bell rings, signalling the end of class. Junhee gets to her feet and stretches, moaning as the kinks dissolve in her body. She pulls out her compact mirror from her bag and checks to see if her hair is in place. Today she matched her yellow ribbon with the shirt she is wearing under her grey sleeveless sweater. When she finds everything to be in place, she loops her arm through Minseo’s and asks, “Should we go to the cafe today?”

Minseo nods, “Well, we don’t have Intergovernmental Relations today and I was hungry.” She packs her things up and smiles, “Let’s go!”

They head to the new cafe that opened right outside the university named Nirvana. They enter and as Junhee is looking around, taking in the bright red and yellow interiors, she finds a very familiar face. She shouts, “Yifan!”

Yifan looks up and so does the other guy sitting with him. Minseo tugs at Junhee’s sleeves, asking, “How do you know those good looking guys?”

Junhee smiles, “I just know Yifan, he is a neighbour.” She makes her way to his table and Yifan gets up, bowing at Minseo, who returns it. Yifan asks, “Would you like to join us?”

Junhee grins, “Don’t mind if I do!”

Junhee sits down beside Yifan while Minseo takes her seat beside the other guy, who introduces himself as Huang Zitao, Yifan’s classmate and friend. They order some tea and cake, and they chat about their courses. Junhee notes how much Minseo is smiling at Zitao, who is doing the same. Junhee wouldn’t blame the guy, Minseo is amongst the prettiest girls in their course, and thus, no one would blame Zitao if he went home with a massive crush on her friend.

Yifan has ordered some chocolate pudding affair and some of it gets smeared on his chin. Junhee grins as she gets a tissue and without warning Yifan, wipes it off his chin. Yifan is startled but he reels it in and gapes at her. Junhee says, “Chocolate on your chin.”

Yifan feels his face heating up as he mumbles, “Uh, thank you.” His heart is racing a mile a minute at the bright smile aimed at him. Junhee is unfairly pretty, Yifan cries in his head.

The evening is closing in but it is still light enough. Yifan offers to join Junhee to the walk home. Minseo and Zitao bid them goodbye from the cafe. Minseo lives a bit far away while Zitao lives at the college hostel.

Junhee is plenty loquacious, he discovers, so he lets her go on, telling him about a story from her childhood when she found her neighbours lost cat. He decides he rather likes her voice and her very animated speech. She says, “Poor thing was actually giving birth. She just wanted a quiet, warm place, so she hid inside Mr Kim’s garage!”

They are closing in on the chapel, which is in the middle of their block and as they inch closer, something large and bulky hits the ground. Junhee and Yifan gasp when they both realise they are looking down at a human body. Yifan grabs her hand and murmurs, “Isn’t that the pastor?”

“Yes, that is Choi Siwon,” Junhee says, her eyes glued to the blood slowly seeping out of Siwon’s body and pooling around his head. She looks up and sees nothing except the pink light of the twilight. She looks back down and wonders. She touches Yifan’s elbow and says, “Call for the police from the stationery shop,” when he doesn’t move, obviously shocked, she shouts, “Now!”

 

An hour later, after giving their eyewitness reports to Junhyung, Yifan follows Junhee to her home again. She insists to come and collect himself before going home. She makes him another cup of tea and sits down beside him on the dining table. She brings his hands around the cup, covering them and he looks up, his eyes still wide in fear and shock. Junhee feels her heart swelling with pity again. She says, her voice soft, “I am so sorry you had to see that Yifan.” Her thumbs are circling patterns onto the back of Yifan’s hand, trying to calm him.

“Do, do you think he is died the moment he hit the ground?” Yifan asks.

Junhee shrugs. “I think so Yifan.”

Yifan closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “I saw two dead bodies now. My mom would never believe me.”

Junhee bites her lip, feeling guilty, as if the deaths were her fault. She doesn’t like this look of moroseness on Yifan’s face. It just doesn’t suit him. She decides, “Hey, stay here tonight, okay? I will call Mrs Han and tell her about it. Do you like chicken?”

Yifan mumbles, “Not really.”

Junhee laughs, “I have some pork belly then, will that do?”

Yifan nods; in his mind’s eye he can still see the drop. How Siwon just swooped through the air and hit the ground. The pastor’s life just gone in a blink of an eye. His head hurts to think how easy is to just die then. He groans and feels his eyes watering up. He feels a soft hand land on his cheek and he turns his head to find Junhee cupping his cheek, her eyes filled with concern as she says, “Hey, it will be okay.”

Yifan feels his face warming up as he realises just how close they are right now. One of her hands are on his, folded over the cup, and the other is on his face, wiping his tears away. His anxiety gets replaced by something else, a different sort of anxiety as he looks down at Junhee’s face, her kind eyes especially.

Junhee too feels a bit flushed as Yifan keeps staring at her silently. She gets flustered as she gets to her feet, grabbing the apron from the hooks beside the fridge. She better get dinner started, but before that, she should call the station.

“Sinchon police station, how may we help?” a bored voice says as Junhee gets her call through.

Junhee says, “Hi Sehun oppa, it’s me Junhee.”

Sehun groans, “Oh no, not you, your father told me—”

“Oh come on! I saw Choi Siwon drop to his death! Shouldn’t you help me?”

Constable Oh Sehun sounds pained as he informs, “Fine, he died from the fall. Big crack to the head.”

“Was he pushed or did he fall? Accident or suicide?”

Sehun groans again, “We don’t know. There have been no signs of any struggle on the terrace.”

“Ah, okay, thanks!”

Junhee puts the phone down and can’t help but wonder if perhaps, Siwon and Baekhyun’s death are connected. Her father and his department is hell-bent on finding the tramp, thinking this was just a random act of violence but Junhee can’t think so. There is something off about the whole thing.

Her thoughts are interrupted when she hears shuffling behind her. She looks up to find Yifan stand behind her, scratching his head as he says, “Do you want any help? I am not entirely useless in a kitchen.”

Junhee grins, “Well, I am trash with cutting onions.”

 

Yifan wakes up the next day in the guestroom of Junhee’s place. Even Mr Kim was sympathetic and tried to comfort Yifan and went above and beyond to assure him. Yifan is touched by their kindness, of the father and the daughter both. Here he is, in a foreign country, and he had to deal with two dead bodies, but at least he met people like Junhee and Junhyung.

He is freshening up in the bathroom when he hears loud singing in the kitchen. He smiles when he realises father and daughter are singing along to the morning radio. He follows the singing down and walks into the kitchen to find Junhee without her trademark bow. Her hair is loose down her back and she has an oversized t-shirt on. She notices his presence and grins, “Good morning Yifan!”

Junhyung is busy at the stove, frying eggs, but he turns around and greets, “Morning son, did you sleep well?”

“Yes sir,” Yifan nods. “Can I help?”

Junhyung laughs and Yifan sees the resemblance to his daughter there. “No, sit down and relax.”

Junhee puts down a glass of water for him and says, “So, we are taking a day off today.”

Yifan blinks, “I have classes.”

Junhyung shakes his head, “You had a traumatic experience yesterday, rest here son.”

Junhee agrees; and between them, Yifan finds himself agreeing too. He does feel mentally exhausted. They all sit down for breakfast and it is rather pleasant. Soon, Junhyung leaves for his work and Junhee is clearing the dishes when she hums, “Yifan? Would you like to take a walk with me?”

Yifan is confused at the sudden invitation. “Uh, okay.”

Junhee gives him a smile but there is something in it that Yifan doesn’t recognise but he gets a sense of foreboding. “Cool, wait here. I will be ready in a jiffy!”

Yifan decides to wait in the living room and Junmyeon returns soon after, dressed in a high neck brown sweater and a red check skirt with long socks matching her sweater. Her hair is up in a ponytail again, tied with a white ribbon. She grins, “Let’s go!”

 

By walk, Yifan should have known better. But Junhee’s toothy smile is deceptive and he is only so strong. She took him around to buy some food first and then she ended up at the chapel (surprise, surprise). Before they can step inside, Junhee bows to him and explains, “I am sorry, I know this is the last place you want to be but I need to talk to Soojung unnie.”

Yifan frowns a bit but Junhee’s wide-eyed gaze is too persuasive and he nods his head. He is given another smile again and they step inside the gates. The blood has been washed away but Yifan knows he will never forget the exact spot where Siwon breathed his last. Instead of going to the front, Junhee takes another route, circling the perimeter and entering through a back door. As she steps in, she stops and says, “You know Yifan, if the tramp did murder Byun Baekhyun, he should have used this entrance, don’t you think?”

Yifan blinks in confusion as he asks, “Why so?”

Junhee points at something in front of her and Yifan follows her finger to see the organ. She explains, “If the tramp killed him there, and no one heard or saw anything because of the screen covering it from everyone, why did he try to walk all the way to the entrance and then leave? Seems strange, no?”

Yifan scowls; Junhee makes a point. He looks at her, her eyebrows furrowed and her lips pouted. He looks away, feeling warm under his collar because there he was, _staring_ again. They walk inside and Junhee makes a beeline for the back where another door opens to cubicles. Yifan asks, “What is this?”

“Offices, Soojung unnie volunteers here,” Junhee says.

They find Soojung soon enough by a file cabinet. She is dressed in black and her eye bags looks more prominent. Junhee clears her throat, “Unnie?”

Soojung smiles at her. “Ah, Junhee, what is it?”

Junhee steps forward and says, “I was hoping we could talk?”

Soojung wipes her hands on her skirt. “Okay, sure, what is it?”

Junhee crosses her arms and frowns, “Unnie, I firmly believe mister Byun wasn’t killed by a tramp.”

Soojung widens her eyes for a moment before sighing and rubbing her temple. “You think so too, huh.”

Junhee gasps, “You do too?”

Soojung points them to her office and they all sit down around her desk. She says, “It felt strange that of all the people on earth, a random person would come kill Baekhyun!”

“Did you know him very well?”

“Oh yes, Baekhyun, Taeyeon and I go way, way back. We all went to the same college, in fact.” Soojung smiles up at Yifan, “Your college, Yifan.”

Junhee smirks a little before asking, “Anyway, how is Taeyeon unnie?”

“Oh, she is gone, for some time. Baekhyun and she had a small cottage by the mountains, she said she will stay there till this all blows off.”

“Ah.” Junhee leans forward and smiles, “And how are you doing?”

Soojung blinks. “Me? I am okay, I suppose.”

“Couldn’t have been easy for you, what with the pastor…”

Soojung clicks her tongue. “Oh, darlings, you two had to see that, didn’t you? I am so sorry.”

“It’s all right unnie, we are doing okay. Right?” She turns to look at Yifan, who nods his head on cue.

They bid Soojung goodbye after that and as they step outside, Junhee grabs Yifan’s arm and her eyes are gleaming as she says, “Time to go to your college!”

Yifan widens his eyes again but doesn’t get to say anything as they start walking towards Yonsei. Yifan was already carrying his ID card, so they don’t face any trouble getting inside. Junhee locates the administration offices and starts there. They are at the door when Yifan realises, “Okay, I suppose you want to snoop after Baekhyun, Soojung, and Taeyeon, but you do know that you can’t look into records without permission and a valid reason?”

Junhee grins, “Of course I know. Why do you think I brought you with me?”

Yifan frowns, he is utterly confused now. Then, Junhee tells him, and he wonders why he left Guangzhou for this.

 

Yifan sighs, tapping his foot as he looks at the fire alarm. He could get suspended for this but Junhee promised he won’t, that she got his back. He doesn’t understand how, but she is standing at the corner, frowning at him, so he pulls the lever on the alarm and then as instructed, he ducks in the room next that turns out to be a supply closet.

He hears footsteps outside and people talking loudly as the shrill alarm rings on relentlessly. Junhee had hypothesized that it will be ten to fifteen minutes before people realise the alarm is false, and she thinks she has the window to go in the files room in the admin office and track down the information she needs.

Yifan counts till six hundred and sixty seconds before Junhee knocks three times on the door, as told. Yifan opens the door and she squeezes in the small space. Her head butts against his chin but she doesn’t even notice and Yifan gets a whiff of her citrusy perfume. He steps back, pressing his back to the wall as she looks up at him and her eyes are glimmering as she says, her voice slightly breathless, “Baekhyun has a twin!”

Yifan is even more confused but she doesn’t explain as she presses her ears to the door and listens. She stays quiet for a while before she says, “Okay, I think we can come out now.”

The crowd has moved towards the end of the corridor, leaving the exit free for them and then, she is running with him out of the college gates. The guards are distracted and they don’t notice them, and soon they are walking down the street, heading for the cafe. As soon as they step in, Junhee turns around and smiles, “Get us a seat, will you? I need to call the station real quick!”

Yifan nods, his adrenaline now running out and he slumps down on the closest empty seat. He looks up at Junhee, who is leaning against the reception desk, her legs crossed as she talks into the receiver. Her legs are shapely and pale, and Yifan instantly feels terrible for ogling. But she is just so attractive, _and_ _crazy_. He sighs as he rubs his face. He just pulled a fire alarm for her.

Yifan of the past would never dream of doing such things. But Kim Junhee is a firecracker—no, not because she is pretty but because he has no idea when she will get an _idea_ and suddenly go off—and he has never met anyone like her in his existence of twenty years. He smiles as he reads the menu—actually, he isn’t that miffed, he is sort of having fun, besides the two dead people of course.

Junhee returns to the table and grins, “I ordered coffee and some caramel pudding for us both, is it okay?” When Yifan nods, Junhee continues, now leaning across the table, her dark eyes gleaming, “So, guess what I learned. Baekhyun has or had a twin named Taehyung, and they went to Yonsei with Taeyeon and Soojung unnie at the same time! However, Taehyung seems to have dropped out after the second year on a cheating accusation and no one knew where he went! I have called Sehun to look him up, it could be important.”

Yifan listens to it all and crosses his arms, his eyebrows furrowing. “But how is Taehyung important to this investigation. Do you, do you think he might have killed his brother?”

Junhee shrugs, “Possible…” But then grins, “But look at you Wu, you can be my Watson, eh?”

Yifan feels embarrassed at the comparison but he finds that he doesn’t really mind. Their food and drink arrives, and Junhee doesn’t talk about the investigation anymore, instead talks about the neighbourhood, the chapel and the people around her.

When they return to Junhee’s home, they find a young man loitering in front of it. Yifan notes the policeman uniform, the trendy hairstyle, and aviator glasses and he wonders if this is the Sehun Junhee talks about. His thoughts are confirmed when Junhee cries, “Constable Sehun! Do you have something for me?”

Sehun comes closer, his lips turned in a scowl, obviously displeased but looking defeated already. The man seems a decade or so older than them, and Yifan notes that Sehun perhaps is fond of Junhee in a way, and somehow that makes him jealous. The constable says, “Okay, listen, I have put in a word at the district headquarters to look for one Byun Taehyung, but don’t put your hopes very high, he may be dead for all we know. Why is he so important though?”

Junhee’s smile drops as she looks to her right, her gaze boring into the pavement. “What if the man dead on the floor wasn’t Baekhyun?”

Sehun is startled, he crosses his arms and widens his eyes, “Why do you say that?”

Junhee looks back at him and her eyes are no longer gleaming or filled with mirth. They are serious and Yifan gasps at the subdued fire in them. “Why did the wife not identify her husband’s body oppa?”

“She, she fainted.”

Junhee shakes her head. However, the next moment, the gloom leaves her face and she brightens up again. “Come in, oppa! I will make some tea?”

Sehun, taken aback by her sudden personality change, shakes his head, “No kiddo, you go ahead. I have to go back to Joohyun, we have another doctor’s appointment.” He finally looks at Yifan and asks, “Who’s this though?”

“Oh! This is Yifan, he is attending Yonsei!”

Sehun furrows his eyebrows as he extends a hand towards Yifan, “Kid, please tell me she did not use you to get inside the college.”

Yifan gapes, wondering if this is not the first time Junhee has pulled such a stunt. He shakes the constable’s hand but his face may have given him away because Sehun sends him a sympathetic smile. He walks away next and Yifan sees him walk down the street and then turn a corner. He asks, “Does the constable live nearby?”

Junhee nods, “Yeah, just five minutes from here. He is married to another unnie I know, Joohyun. They are expecting a baby!” Junhee grins, “If you see her, you will be amazed. She is so pretty, and oppa is so handsome, we already know the baby’s going to be gorgeous as hell!”

She steps inside the house and Yifan feels that mild jealousy of his dissipating. Junhee makes them tea and as they sit down at the small dining table in the kitchen, Yifan blurts out the question that has been bothering him as he watched her prepare tea, “You said something about the wife not identifying the body, what did you mean?”

Junhee blows the steam on her cup and pouts, “Say, you are married and your spouse dies. You are overwhelmed, you faint but when the time comes, wouldn’t you want to be there to make sure it was truly your husband who died?”

Yifan frowns, “Um, okay, you do make a point but perhaps Taeyeon-sshi couldn’t bring herself to do it?”

Junhee shakes his head. “Then, there is pastor Choi. Why did he kill himself? Dad says he didn’t even leave a suicide note.”

Yifan widens his eyes, “Was he pushed then?”

Junhee shakes her head again, “Nope. I went to the terrace this morning before everyone was awake. There truly was no sign of struggle up there. Seems like Choi killed himself. But the Taeyeon thing is bothering me so, so much…”

Yifan leaves soon after and heads to his lodgings. Junhee tells him to come over if he wants to grab dinner with them but Yifan already feels like he has encroached on their kindness too much, so he politely refuses and walks towards Mrs Han’s house.

Two houses before Mrs Han’s place, he knows Jung Soojung lives with her invalid mother. Mrs Han told him that the elderly Jung used to live in some retirement down south till she suddenly returned here a few months ago. Yifan was only half listening. He has seen the old woman a couple of times, sunning on the porch in her wheelchair. He has seen Soojung too, hovering around her mother.

As he walks by the Jung house, he halts. He knows the house has a half-basement and the light is turned on there. The window is large enough and he can see a bit inside the room. He can see a lamp and a sofa against the backdrop of peeling, damp wallpaper. Suddenly, a shadow crosses the lamp and since the light falls right across the wall opposite the house, Yifan realises it is a male shadow. However, before he can see any further, the light gets turned off.

Yifan frowns as he resumes walking. He has to tell this to Junhee as soon as he sees her again. As far as he knows from Mrs Han, the Jung household has no male members living with them. Soojung’s brother lives in another house at the end of the street, and is currently not in the city, so who was that?

 

“Are you sure it was a man?” Junhee asks when Yifan tells her whatever he saw two nights ago. He had found her out as soon as class ended, waiting for her in front of her college gates. He did not have to wait too long, she came through the gates dressed in a blue polka dot sweater, a red skirt and more knee high socks, this time in yellow. Oh, the ribbon in her hair today matches her socks. Yifan has gotten into a habit of checking her hair every time he sees her.

They are seated inside her college grounds, Junhee having somehow convinced the guard that Yifan is a cousin. Yifan just went with it and let her drag him inside and buy him a can of soft drink. He answers her, “Yup, I am pretty sure.”

“Hmm, interesting…”

“Has your dad or Constable Sehun learned anything new?”

Junhee presses her lips. “Plenty, apparently. Baekhyun might have been stealing from the chapel. And his brother? Taehyung? He was involved in some gambling racket. However, no one knows what happened to him after he was arrested and then bailed two years ago. Sehun oppa is still looking but I am not putting much hope there.” She perks up and grins up at him next, “Do you wanna come with me on my excursions today? And oh, dad would love you over for dinner again and you can’t say no because tomorrow is a Sunday, so…”

Yifan chuckles as he rubs his neck. Junhee’s grin widens when she realises she won this round. After they finish their drinks, she takes him with her to visit the organist, Kim Jongdae.

Jongdae lives near the canal and his house seem a bit older than most. There are lush bushes of flowers and there are toys spread all over the front yard. Junhee and Yifan step around it, but Yifan ends up stepping on a squeaky toy anyway. He cries a little and Junhee turns around to chuckle at him. Yifan feels his face heating up and he ducks his head as he follows her to the front step.

Jongdae opens the door and a shrill scream greets them. Junhee and Yifan look on in alarmed, but Jongdae shakes his head, “Just my son, refusing to accept the fact that vegetables are indeed good for his health.”

Junhee grins but then her gaze lands on the shoe rack behind Jongdae. She looks back at him again and says, “Ah, anyway oppa, just came to ask if, if, you and Donghyuck are doing okay.”

Jongdae laughs, his lips curling at the corners, “Sweet of you Junhee, but we are fine. I would ask you to come in but—”

“No problem oppa, we will be going now! Bye!”

Jongdae shuts the door on their backs and Yifan frowns, “You did not come here to ask how they were doing.”

Junhee shakes her head and doesn’t talk till they are at some distance from the house. “Taeyeon unnie is in that house.”

Yifan is startled. “What? How?”

“I saw her shoes. Maroon block heels with the ankle straps,” Junhee says, “She wears it almost every day with anything. I have wanted shoes like that for some time…”

Yifan, again gets the feeling that Junhee is miles away somewhere in her thoughts while he is still standing in the dark. “But, what?”

Junhee doesn’t say anything, just hums, “Soojung identifying Baekhyun’s body, Taeyeon unnie here instead of the mountains...interesting indeed…”

Yifan looks down at Junhee, her lips are pursed, her eyebrows furrowed, her brain probably working a mile a minute. Suddenly, she breaks through her reverie and smiles, “Hungry? I suddenly feel famished!”

Yifan gets whiplash from the sudden change in conversation and he finds himself dragged down the street. Yifan just chuckles and gives up. But instead of taking the same road back to Junhee’s house, they take the street through Yifan’s lodgings. Junhee halts in front of Soojung’s house and the mother is out on the porch, a cup of something steaming in her lap. Junhee waves at her, “Missus Jung!”

The woman turns her head to look at Junhee and a small smile blooms on her face. “Junhee, isn’t it?”

“Yep! Ah, halmeoni, is your son back home?”

“No, dear, why?”

Junhee shrugs, her cheeks lifting, flushing the slightest peach, “Just wanted some help, with the, ugh—”

Junhee is saved from answering when the door behind him opens and Soojung steps out. Her appearance shocks Yifan—she looks nothing like the Soojung he met in the chapel almost a week ago. There are dark circles under her eyes, her neck is covered in rashes and her clothes are all crumpled up. Yifan wonders why she looks so strangely out of character. All the times he has seen her she looked so resplendent (not that he has been staring at _her_ a lot before meeting Junhee or anything).

Soojung smiles at Junhee and Yifan, says nothing as she wheels her mother back inside the house. She didn’t look entirely friendly but not too hostile either. Junhee tilts her head to the side and smiles, “I see.”

Yifan doesn’t see, he tells her so. Junhee says, “Let’s walk.” She looks at the half-basement for a second before looping her arm through Yifan’s elbow. They make their way to Junhee’s house and they are almost there when Junhee asks, “How did Soojung look to you?”

“Uh, stressed? And maybe she picked up something? There were rashes on her neck,” Yifan says.

Junhee giggles as she looks at him, “Yifan, have you never had sex before?” Yifan feels his face heating up to dangerous levels as he gapes down at her. Okay, he hasn’t done anything besides kissing but this is hardly the place or time. Junhee is looking up at him, her eyes shining with mischief as she continues, “Chill, neither have I but listen, I know a shirt is the wrong side out when I see one.”

Yifan, now that his embarrassing fit is over, asks, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, Soojung didn’t have rashes on her neck but love bites, the colouring was all wrong, and her shirt? It was inside out _and_ it was buttoned up all wrong. You are a man, I don’t expect you to notice all that.” She even reaches up and pats his head, rather patronisingly.

Yifan leans back but he is smiling, “Okay, Sherlock, sorry about that.”

“That’s okay, Watson. Now, tell me, do you feel like rice cakes or fishcakes?”

 

Next morning, Yifan wakes up to knocking on his door. He crashed at the Kims again. He thinks by now, he should just move in with them or something. Anyway, he gets to his feet and opens the door to Junhee already fully dressed in green flared pants, a sweater vest on top of a white shirt. But what arrests Yifan’s attention and wakes him up completely is the fact that her hair is down, clipped to the side. Yifan has never seen her with her hair down, and he takes a deep breath and tells himself to stop staring.

Junhee tilts her head to the side and smiles, “Good morning, sleepyhead! That is some impressive bed hair!” She reaches up to pat his head down and Yifan gets a whiff of her perfume. Her fingers dig deeper into his hair and he smiles, feeling oddly comforted by it. However, she takes back her hand the next moment and says, “Anyway, we are going to the chapel. Wanna join us?”

Some minutes later, Yifan joins the Kims as they make their way to the chapel. A new pastor has come down from Daegu and the service starts as normal, though some words are shared on the recent tragedies plaguing the community. Yifan sits beside Junhee, who has a prominent frown on her face as she takes surreptitious glances all around the chapel. He leans down and whispers, “What is it?”

“Something,” Junhee whispers back. “I don’t see Jongdae or his son. And Taeyeon is here, looking around with much confusion, which means she came with Jongdae and now he is not here.”

“Are you sure, like, they are having an affair?”

“Yes, Yifan. I kind of wondered if they did long before Baekhyun died.”

Yifan is taken aback by what Junhee says. He looks back and finds Taeyeon looking agitated, but he notices that Soojung sits behind her, a scarf wrapped tightly around her neck looking down. Taeyeon turns around to talk but Soojung just smiles a little and shakes her head. There seems to be something bothering Soojung as well because when Taeyeon turns her head back to the front, Soojung bites her lip and takes a deep breath.

As soon as the service finishes, Junhee grabs Yifan’s elbow and says, “Follow me, I need to find Jongdae oppa.”

Yifan nods and they make their way to the back. Junhyung sends a glare at Junhee’s direction but Junhee brushes it off and drags Yifan towards the stairs that lead to the terrace. Yifan asks, “Why are we going to the terrace?”

“To get a good look over the whole property of course,” Junhee replies. She laces her fingers through his and tugs, “Come on!”

They head to the terrace and the cold air gets to them. Junhee instinctively steps closer to Yifan, pushing her body closer to Yifan, and then they both erupt into awkward chuckles as they realise they are almost hugging. Junhee grins, “Ah, you are warm, sorry.”

“No problem,” Yifan says, his face heating up at the smile aimed at him. “You should have worn something warmer.”

Junhee rolls her eyes, “Yeah, yeah okay.”

They stick close to each other as they make their way to the edge. They both peer down, trying to see if they can spot anything. Junhee scowls when she sees Soojung leave the chapel, almost hurrying. Taeyeon tries to call after her, but Soojung doesn’t wait. Junhee wonders what is happening between those two women. They are pretty close, always have been, so what happened?

Yifan moves to the side, slightly, arm still around Junhee when he notices something. The chapel is a three-storeyed building with an outhouse that is only one level. The outhouse is mostly used to store miscellaneous items and the top of the roof hasn’t been cleaned in years. Yifan sees broken chairs and tables, even a commode, but then he sees a pair of shoes sticking out behind a stack of books. He grabs Junhee’s arm and his voice is strained, “Junhee…”

Junhee looks at Yifan, and then when she follows where he is looking, she gasps, “Oh my god.”

She takes off, Yifan struggles to keep up but they both rush down the stairs and out of the chapel. Junhyung calls for his daughter and her friend again, but both of them pay no heed to that. They get to the outhouse, finding the doors to it unlocked. Junhee and Yifan are at the stairs when they both find the blood on the landing. They share a glance and Junhee says, “Go find my dad, you don’t need to see any more dead bodies.” Yifan opens his mouth to protest, but she shakes her head, “Go.”

Yifan obeys and leaves. Junhee carefully makes her way, taking great care to avoid the blood and opens the door to the roof. She takes a deep, shaky breath when she looks down at Jongdae’s body. The blood trail tells her he was stabbed in the landing and then he dragged himself away to the roof. But she sees two wounds, one on his stomach and the other around his neck. The killer followed him, but most importantly, the killer was _here_.

Junhyung calls, “Junhee!”

“Up here, dad!”

Junhyung joins his daughter and he gasps when he sees Jongdae’s lifeless body. Junhee says, “Told you, this is no tramp dad.”

“Oh dear god.”

Junhee steps behind her father and says, “Find the brother, dad, I know it is important.”

Junhyung’s jaw hardens and he nods, “I will look harder Jun, you may be right with that theory of yours.”

Junhee crosses her arms and bites her lip, nodding.

 

Junhee finds Yifan pacing in front of the chapel. He had used the telephone to call the cops at Junhyung’s order, and they had swarmed the place within ten minutes. Junhee was upstairs with her dad giving her witness statements, and so was Yifan, whose statement was taken by Sehun, who gave him a friendly pat before disappearing into the outhouse.

Junhee stops at a distance to watch Yifan for a minute. His bed hair isn’t any better, having been ruffled some more by him probably. Junhee feels a pang of pity pass through her—here he is, a foreign student in a foreign land and now he has been involved in three deaths. She feels bad, perhaps a little responsible. She walks up to him and stops him by grabbing his elbow. Yifan widens his eyes as he asks, “Hey, so what happened?”

 _Jongdae was stabbed once in his stomach and then he pulled himself away. But the killer followed and sliced his throat to finish him off_ is what Junhee would have said if this was anyone else. But she doesn’t, instead chooses to say, “He was murdered, yes. Do you wanna go back home? We don’t need to stay here anymore.” Her hand moves up and down his arm, trying to ease him down. She can sense his agitation, and it bothers her. “Or we can go somewhere else.”

Yifan smiles a little, “Somewhere else sounds fine.”

Thus, Junhee takes hold of Yifan’s hand again and they make their way down the street. Yifan doesn’t ask where they are going, choosing to let Junhee take over and just trust in her. They take a bus to the river and Junhee stays mostly silent, just humming under her breath. Yifan somehow ends up asleep and wakes up when Junhee lightly shakes his shoulder. They get down and Junhee buys hotcakes as they stroll along the river. There is construction going on nearby and Yifan looks at the building, nearly ten stories and he remembers how constructing tall buildings are all the rage nowadays and how as civil engineers, they will have bright and prosperous futures.

They sit down and Junhee notes how Yifan is staring wistfully at the construction. She says, “That is what you will be doing soon, eh? Dad says we are developing too fast, and soon the skyline will be unrecognisable.”

Yifan shrugs, “I suppose so.”

“But will you be going back home then?”

Yifan takes a bite of his red bean paste filled hotcake and looks at Junhee. He is chewing slowly as he mulls over the question. He hasn’t really thought what he will be doing after his four years here are over. He swallows the food in his mouth and then says, “I haven’t really thought of it. But back in Guangzhou, it is just me and my mother, so if I do end up staying, she can always come to stay with me.”

“Aren’t you the filial son!” Junhee grins, but Yifan can see there is no mockery or mirth in it like he usually sees when he tells his peers how close he is to his mother. Her smile softens as she says, “That’s nice.” She looks across the river next and sighs, “Dad will retire in a few more years, and I know his first and foremost concern is to see me happy and settled with some man, but that is not what I want. If I leave him, who will take care of him? He almost burnt down the toaster last month!”

Yifan chuckles and Junhee laughs along. Suddenly, Yifan thinks it won’t be too bad if he could marry someone like Junhee maybe. He feels his cheeks warm at the thought and when he looks at her, his heart stutters. Yes, he would if he could. She is beautiful, smart, kind and she doesn’t judge him for the things everyone else does. He can even imagine his mother liking her. Something inside his heart blooms and warms his entire body, making it tingle in a nice way.

They stay there for some more time, eating their late, makeshift breakfast. It is nice, Junhee thinks, to be able to share silences like this. She braves a glance at Yifan and she grins when she sees how he has grease smeared all across his chin. She always carries tissues in her bag, so she pulls out one and curls her fingers under his chin. Yifan is startled and Junhee grins, “You are a very messy eater, aren’t you?”

Junhee is aware that Yifan is handsome but right now, under the soft autumn morning light with the trees over their heads, she can’t help but think how deep and beautiful his eyes are. His lips are chapped but nice and pink, and she wonders how it would be like kissing them. She wipes the grease off and chucks the tissue at the nearest trash bin. She hears Yifan murmur, “Thanks.”

They walk along the river a bit and Junhee keeps the conversation away from the cases and focuses on everything else. Yifan can tell what she is doing and he appreciates it greatly. But the curious part inside him wants to ask so many questions. He guesses she will tell him when the time is right. Isn’t that what happens in detective novels?

 

Junhee returns home alone, Yifan had excused himself for the day and he looked so sleepy, Junhee let him go back to his paying guest accommodations. He probably wants a nap, though she thought he should probably eat something before napping; she hoped Mrs. Han would take care of that for him. She has been gone for a little over two hours, so when she enters her house, she finds a note left on the fridge. She recognises her father’s handwriting, asking her to come over to the station whenever she returns.

She reaches the station as fast as she can, not before buying a couple of servings of barley tea. She finds her father in his office with Sehun. She hands them the drinks and both men smile at her in gratitude, Sehun even comments, “When your daughter isn’t trying to bother me to death with questions, she is an angel.”

Junhee frowns as her father laughs, “That she gets from her mother, sadly, the questioning part she gets from me.” Junhee rolls her eyes at that.

Junhee sits down on the desk and says, “So, what did you guys find so far?”

Sehun flips through his notebook, “Well, of course, you were right. Kim Jongdae was killed in the landing, then he dragged himself to the roof where the killer finished him off by slicing his neck. It was a deep, concise wound, no jagged ends—”

“So, the killer definitely did not hesitate,” Junhee interjects.

“Yes,” Junhyung adds. He leans forward and picks up a sheet and says, “So, about Byun Taehyung. We have found his fingerprints from an old case down in Naju. They will be sending the prints over through post, and just as they get here, we will compare them with the body.”

Sehun suddenly asks, “Why do you think it is Taehyung and not Baekhyun?”

Junhee juts her lower lip out as she says, “Why would a wife refuse to identify her husband? And don’t you think it is a little too coincidental that just when Baekhyun was accused of stealing money, he dies?”

Sehun nods, “So, you think the dead body is Taehyung’s instead?”

Junhyung steeples his fingers as he adds, “It is all too coincidental, yes, but I don’t understand how Siwon and Jongdae are involved in this.”

“Siwon is a suicide,” Junhee says. “I am sure you will find the suicide note sooner than later.” She scowls when she remembers, “Anyway, where is Donghyuck?”

Sehun says, “I have sent some officers over. He usually is at his mother’s house every weekend. Jongdae and his wife are divorced, so they have split custody of the child.”

Junhee doesn’t stay long after that, but as she leaves, she turns around and looks at her father as she says, “Dad, you gotta keep eyes on Taeyeon unnie today. I have a feeling she may be in trouble.”

 

Come Monday, Junhee, by afternoon, receives news that she doesn’t like but kind of saw coming. Both Donghyuck and Taeyeon are missing. Donghyuck apparently never made his way to his mother’s house on Sunday. Jongdae was supposed to bring him over after the chapel service but with his death, no one knew where the child is. As to Taeyeon, Junhyung did dispatch a man to the cottage by the mountains and he said Taeyeon too did not return there. She was also nowhere to be found in the neighbourhood. Even Soojung did not know where she was.

Junhee gets the news from her father during lunch break and her mind is not in the lecture obviously. Even Minseo and her constant nudging can’t bring Junhee back to class. After classes get over for the day, Junhee is even more distracted and almost walks into Yifan, who had been waiting with Zitao at the entrance. Minseo and Zitao soon forget their respective friends and start talking but Yifan notices the faraway look in Junhee’s eyes and he clasps her shoulders as he softly says, “Junhee, what is it?”

She snaps out of her musings and finds Yifan peering down at her, his eyes filled with concern. Junhee shakes her head and says, “Taeyeon unnie and Donghyuck are missing Yifan. I had a feeling they would be in trouble…”

Yifan tightens his hold on Junhee as he says, “No, Junhee, this is not your fault.”

“They, they could be dead…” her eyes widen and turn glassy. Her lips tremble a little as she tries to bite back a sob.

Yifan wants to pull her into his arms and comfort her but he is much too chicken for it so he gently rubs her arms. Minseo notices her friend’s distress and asks, “Jun, what is it? You okay?”

Junhee shakes her head and smiles, “It is okay, I am fine, I just wanna go home.”

That day, Yifan walks Junhee home and he realises how much he hates this upset version of Junhee. He doesn’t like it, he decides. He returns to his rooms and finds Mrs Han and her son, Sanghyuk in the kitchen. Sanghyuk, all of fifteen, is a tall, lanky boy with a face filled with pimples. Yifan quite likes the boy and when Sanghyuk calls him over, he eagerly joins them. They are eating ttaekbokki and Mrs Han swiftly hands him a bowl of it. 

Mrs Han is a widower and she teaches calligraphy at the local school. The house belonged to her father and now she owns it and sometimes lets young students like him stay at an affordable rate. She is kind, sweet to everyone and is a good cook, so Yifan can’t complain. Right now, it is just him and this American student, so the space is blessedly empty and peaceful.

As expected, they end up talking about the recent deaths, except Mrs. Han ends up saying, “Poor Soojung, she just so much in the last few days alone.”

“Soojung-sshi?” Yifan asks. “They were all friends, weren’t they?”

Mrs Han nods, “Yes. But more than that, she was supposed to marry Jongdae before that other girl stole his heart and broke off their engagement. And then her poor mother got sicker and she had to send her away to some far off, expensive treatment place.”

Yifan sits up in surprise. Soojung and Jongdae were engaged? Does Junhee know this? He needs to learn more but then Sanghyuk asks, “Expensive place? Mom, I just saw Soojung unnie at the moneylender’s place.”

Mrs Han clicks her tongue, “And who told you to go snoop on her? They came into some money years and years ago. They weren’t always so poor. And I hear poor Mrs. Jung is getting bad again. That girl needs to marry someone who can take care of her and her mother, tch. That son of hers is useless!”

Yifan knows he has to tell all of this to Junhee and as soon as possible.

 

Next day, Yifan goes over to the Kim household first thing in the morning and finds Junhyung fiddling with the toaster and muttering over it (the door was unlocked). Yifan remembers what Junhee said and he says, “Mr. Kim, do you need some help?”

Junhyung turns around and sags in relief. “Oh, thank goodness you are here! I can never work these things out!”

Yifan helps the man make his toast and also makes himself one when Junhyung insists. Yifan glances about and Junhyung smiles when he notes the young man’s restlessness, “Junhee is still in her room. We haven’t found Taeyeon or Donghyuck, so she is still upset.”

Junhyung finishes his breakfast and Yifan decides to go check on her. He knocks on her door and hears a low groan from behind the door. He opens it to find her still in bed under the thick blanket. Yifan shakes his head and steps in, saying, “I thought Kim Junhee wakes up before the sun even rises.”

Junhee is startled to hear a male voice that isn’t her father in her room and she pulls down the cover over her face and frowns up at Yifan, “And what are you doing in my room?”

“Don’t you wanna investigate? I don’t have any morning classes today, so I thought I should drop by!”

Junhee groans again and Yifan takes a moment to look around her room. It is a simple room with cream walls and two large windows covered by dainty floral curtains. There is a desk and a bookshelf pressed against a wall, and the shelf is stacked, bursting with books. There are some pictures of her, her father and her mother on the wall as well.

Yifan walks closer to the picture of the late Mrs. Kim. Yifan sees that Junhee definitely gets her looks from the woman—the resemblance is uncanny. But Junhee still doesn’t look like she wants to wake up, so Yifan sits down at the foot of her bed and shouts, “Kim Junhee, come on!”

Junhee groans again but sits up. Her bangs are sticking up and her braids are falling apart but Yifan can’t look away. She is still so beautiful in her messy hair and flushed face. The t-shirt she is wearing slips a bit down one shoulder and Yifan tears his gaze away, his face aflame at the brief glimpse he saw of delicate collarbones and pale, unblemished skin.

Junhee moves and puts her feet down on the floor. She drags her feet to the ground and opens her dresser by her bed. She pulls some clothes out and then makes her way to the door. She looks over her shoulder and says, “I am hungry. Make me something, please? While I go get ready?”

Yifan nods, jumping to his feet. He needs to get the image of Junhee’s bare shoulder out of his head. He busies himself with breakfast and by the time he is done, Junhee enters the kitchen looking terribly nice in a long-sleeved, collared blue dress. Her hair is tied up again with a white ribbon tied around the base of her ponytail and Yifan just knows she will be alright.

Yifan eats his second breakfast and Junhee makes up the plan for the day. She also listens to the little fact Mrs. Han told Yifan last evening, and her eyebrows furrow in worry at that. She decides she is still too distracted to go to class so she will go to the chapel again, maybe dig around and see if she can find any clues about the killer.

As they walk towards the chapel, Junhee tells Yifan of the theory she has been mulling over: “So, I firmly think the body we found wasn’t Baekhyun’s at all. I think he faked his death, brought his brother over with some excuse and then bashed him. I think Taeyeon unnie was in on it because she let someone else identify her husband. And I think, something changed drastically in the last few days.

“I know Jongdae and Taeyeon were having an affair, Sehun oppa confirmed it. He found her clothes and make-up in his house. Now, he can’t tell how long it was going on, but I think Baekhyun knew, so he went after Jongdae too. However, I don’t understand how this can lead to little Hyuck’s disappearance.”

Yifan says, “Your father’s looking, I am sure they will find him.”

“Unless,” Junhee shudders, “He too has been killed.”

They are a few feet away from the chapel and Yifan halts in his steps, frowning down at her. “No, Junhee, that…”

Junhee looks up and Yifan can see the sadness in her eyes. “Think about it Yifan. He came to the chapel with his dad, what if he saw something? What if the killer decided to finish him off too?”

Yifan doesn’t know what to say, his heart lurching at the thought of Donghyuck possibly dead. He didn’t know the boy very well but he seemed like such a bright little person.

There is an alley running down the back of the chapel and suddenly, two stray cats rush out from it and the sound of bins falling down rings through the quiet area. The two cats hiss at each other but Junhee starts when she sees the bloody paw prints trailing behind the cats. She takes off running, leaving Yifan befuddled for a second. But he soon catches up and he almost knocks into her back but manages to stop himself. He looks down at the upturned bins and what he sees makes him gasp.

Donghyuck lies with his eyes open, skin blue, his blood congealed around him, and if the bins weren’t disturbed, his body wouldn’t have been found any sooner. Junhee swallows and sways back into Yifan, who holds her up as her knees almost give away. She mumbles, “I knew it, Yifan, oh my god, I knew it…”

 

The cover slips down Soojung’s bare shoulder and exposes one breast. She is awake but her eyes are closed as she tries to calm down from the rather strenuous activities of before. She feels a hand cup her breast and a thumb rubbing her nipple, which slowly starts to harden again. She whines, “No, stop, enough. I have to go wake mom up and give her the medicines!”

The man beside her chuckles and doesn’t quite pay her any heed as he nudges into her neck and peppers kisses along her neck and then down her sternum before his lips wrap around her nipple again. His other hand reaches below the covers and he slips his slender fingers into her _again_. She groans, the pleasure surging through her body and she thinks, maybe a little delay in her mother’s daily routine is okay.

 

Donghyuck’s death sends waves of shock throughout the community, and even the media rains down on them. At every hour of the day, Yifan can find photographers and nosy journalists trying to get an interview from everyone. It is annoying as hell. Some even tried to interview him but he pulled his I-am-a-foreign-student-and-I-can’t-speak-Korean-well card and they left him alone.

However, Junhyung and Junhee weren’t faring any better. Especially after someone told reporters how Junhee is the neighbourhood’s Sherlock Holmes and how she is helping her father with the inquiries. Junhee couldn’t catch a break and her father had to order a patrol car just so she could go to college. Yifan stayed away from the Kim household too but that only lasted a day because the next day Sanghyuk handed him a note from Junhee asking to meet her after college at the cafe. Apparently, something has happened last night.

Yifan can hardly concentrate on class and when Zitao asks what’s wrong with him, Yifan briefly explains but Zitao being the annoying friend that he is, grins instead, “Oh, so a date?”

Yifan blinks, flabbergasted, “Did you not hear a single thing I said? I said we are investigating a murder together and we are meeting up because she learned something new!”

Zitao nods, closing his eyes, “So, a date.”

Yifan groans and plants his face into the desk. He would, honestly, love a date with Junhee but in the middle of murder seems a bit too much.

After classes get over, he races towards Nirvana. He finds Junhee hunched over a table with two coffees. She is wearing a high neck red sweater with red pants and a red ribbon in her hair. He wonders what is with all the red for a second. He takes his seat and Junhee looks up at him, a wan smile on her face. She pushes one cup towards her and says, “I ordered for you, I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” Yifan smiles as he wraps his hands around the warm cup. The autumn is deepening into winter and the warmth in the cafe and from the coffee feels nice after the chill outside.

She sighs, “So, ugh, they found Taeyeon’s body last night.” Yifan widens his eyes as he sucks in a deep breath. “She was found strangled on a boat, on a lake some miles away from the Byun cottage. And the forensics confirmed that Donghyuck and Jongdae were probably killed by the same knife, and on the same day, maybe within minutes of each other.”

Yifan groans and rubs his face. “So, you were right. The kid saw something and paid the price for it.” He slips into Mandarin as he curses. He returns to Korean as he says, “And anything else about Taeyeon?”

Junhee shakes his head. “No, nothing else so far.” Her shoulders sag and she slumps over the table, sighing deeply. “I feel so useless Yifan. Four murders and one suicide in total, and I can’t figure out if it is who I think it is or not.”

Yifan feels his heart twisting in sympathy. He reaches forwards and grabs her hands. She jerks her head up and pouts as Yifan says, his voice soft, “I don’t think you are useless. You are the smartest and prettiest person I have ever met, and you have done enough, more than enough.”

Junhee feels her whole body warming at the soft voice and the even softer gaze on her. She grins, “I am the prettiest person you have ever met?”

Yifan feels his face warming up as he fumbles, “Uh, yes, no, I mean.” He squeezes his eyes shut and he knows he is blushing very hard now. She tightens her hold on his hands and she whispers, “Thanks.”

Yifan opens his eyes to see how their hands are entwined on the checkered table cloth and he thinks about what Zitao said. He swallows and takes a deep breath as he braves a look at her. He finds her smiling up at him and he blurts out, “Will you go out with me when this is all over?”

Yifan watches her widen her eyes and parting her lips. He can feel his heart thudding painfully in his chest and his ears get warmer as his blood pools in his head. He is preparing himself for rejection when Junhee bows her head and her cheeks colour that pretty peach shade and she nods. For a second, Yifan thinks he imagined it happen but then Junhee says, “I think I’d like that very much, so yes.”

She looks back up and the gobsmacked look on his face makes her laugh. His mouth is open in shock and his eyes are blinking rapidly under his bangs. Junhee touches his jaw and closes his open mouth as she laughs, “Didn’t think this through, did you?”

Yifan shakes his head slowly as he says, “I, I thought you wouldn’t be interested...I mean…”

The high points of Junhee’s cheeks turn even pinker as she says, “You, you are a nice guy, why would I say no? And uh, handsome too, so.”

Yifan wants to hide under the table. This happened completely in the spur of the moment and he didn’t think he would come this far. But he is happy he went with his feelings and just said what he wanted to say for some time now. His gaze lands on Junhee again who smiles and he cannot help but smile right back.

 

The next morning, the sun is shining brighter, the birds are chirping louder and Minseo notices the obvious glee on Junhee’s face. Thus, she pokes her friend in her ribs and asks, “What is up with you? I haven’t seen you smile this big in days!”

Junhee bites her lip, she hasn’t told her friend about Yifan yet, so she says, “Well, Yifan asked me out yesterday.”

Minseo’s eyes widen and her lips part in shock before a huge grin replaces it and she grabs her friend by her shoulders and shakes her, “Oh my god! I knew it! I knew he liked you!”

Junhee feels her face turning hot and she cups her cheeks as she smiles, “I can’t believe he actually did ask me out you know. I mean, I kinda wondered if he did and...huh.”

Minseo rolls her eyes, “Of course, you knew.”

Junhee throws Minseo a devious grin as she says, “Of course I did!”

The buoyancy in her mood travels with her throughout the day and through boring lectures. By the time she is done, she is buzzing with excitement. Yifan was coming over for dinner tonight, and Junhee has decided to ask her father about Yifan and if he will be okay with her dating him. She really won’t say yes to anyone her father wouldn’t approve but deep down she knows her father likes Yifan. Who couldn’t? Yifan is smart, polite and incredibly sweet to people. On top of that, he is drop dead gorgeous. His thick dark hair, his messy bangs falling into his bright eyes and his gummy grin can reel anyone in.

She decides to head for Mrs. Han’s house, maybe hit her up on more information on the Jung family. She has to pass by the Jung house and she halts and her good mood vanishes when she sees Soojung crying on the doorsteps, her head tucked into Yifan’s chest. Junhee narrows her eyes and crosses her arms. She ducks behind a tree and tries to listen in but all she can hear is sniffling and Yifan continuously saying, “It’s okay noona, it will be okay.”

Junhee raises an eyebrow, asking herself, _what is so wrong with her now? Is it her mother? Why is she holding on to Yifan like that?_

Soojung finally releases Yifan and wipes her face with the scarf around her neck. Junhee frowns when she sees more love bites. Soojung’s mystery lover is bothering her—no one and their dating lives can remain a secret in their community, she knows that through experience. When Sehun and Joohyun started dating, before the couple could tell their parents, they already knew thanks to corner store gossip. When this boy so much as looked at her during eleventh grade and was preparing to confess to her, her dad knew before she did. Thus, the fact that no one is gossiping about Soojung’s lover is strange.

Yifan steps back and awkwardly pats her shoulder. Junhee has to stifle a laugh at that. Soojung returns inside and Yifan starts walking towards his house. Junhee falls into step behind him and Yifan is startled to see her when he turns around. But he also smiles at her and Junhee skips ahead, weaving her fingers through his. Yifan squeezes her fingers and grins, “Hey.”

“Hi,” Junhee smiles back. “So, what was that huh? Why was Soojung unnie using you as her human tissue?”

Yifan chuckles as he scratches his neck, “It was about her mother. She is worried she doesn’t have enough money to send her to the hospital for proper treatment.”

“Didn’t Mrs. Han tell you that she managed to send her mother the last time? Did she tell you where she got all the money from?”

“No, she didn’t, and I am not you, I wouldn’t know how to ask her that!” Yifan complains, flailing his hand.

Junhee, however, has fallen into her deep thoughts again, so Yifan doesn’t wait for a comeback. He lets the walk to his house continue in silence. Sanghyuk opens the door for them and Junhee remains inside her head for some time. She looks at Sanghyuk and asks, “Can I use your telephone?”

Sanghyuk nods and Yifan decides to show her to the phone in the living room. Junhee calls the station and doesn’t even greet her father as she asks, “So, did the fingerprint analysis come through?” She listens for some time and her face suddenly lights up, her eyes widening and her lips curling slowly into a smile. “Okay dad, thanks! I love you!” She puts the receiver down and says, her voice a little breathless, “I was right Yifan. The first victim isn’t Baekhyun.”

Yifan gasps.

 

As instructed by Junhee, Yifan woke up bright and early the next morning. She had told him to keep an eye on Soojung, so when the woman leaves her home after seven, Yifan tells Sanghyuk to call Junhee immediately. Yifan starts following Soojung and she winds her way through the streets, stopping at the florist and then the bun shop.

Junhee joins him by the lane leading to her house and then they both follow their target to the chapel. Junhee is still in her sleeping shorts and t-shirt with just an overcoat thrown over, visibly shivering but also not paying any mind to it.

As soon as they reach the chapel compound, Junhee pulls Yifan to the side. They duck behind the boundary wall as Soojung steps inside the chapel. Junhee calmly says to Yifan, “Listen, stay here. I need you to remain on the lookout, okay?”

Yifan has a protest at the tip of his tongue but holds it in. Junhee whizzes past him and enters the chapel. Junhee finds Soojung on her knees in front of the altar, head bowed. She ducks into a confessional booth and gently shuts the door. The lattice design on the door allows her to stay hidden but able to look through it too.

The side door to the chapel opens and the man that steps in through it doesn’t surprise Junhee. It is, as she expected to be, Baekhyun. However, when Baekhyun reaches Soojung, what surprises her is when he cups her face and kisses her. So, Byun Baekhyun is not only alive but also Soojung’s secret lover, and possibly the secret tenant in her half-basement.

Since the couple thinks they are alone, they choose to talk in normal tones, thus the conversation easily reaches Junhee.

Soojung clasps Baekhyun’s hands and says, her voice wavering, “Baekhyun, they tell me the boy and Taeyeon are dead. Please, please tell me you didn’t.”

Baekhyun smirks, his finger stroking Soojung’s cheek, “Oh love, but I did. The brat saw me kill his father, and my wife, well, apparently, my wife had been sleeping with our common friend for months. I didn’t mean to kill her but she did try to threaten me, so I had to kill her too.”

“Why, why Baekhyun, why did you?” Soojung starts sobbing. She ducks her head and covers her face as she weeps. Junhee bites the inside of her cheeks. She starts to see it now. Jongdae and Taeyeon were having an affair but so was Soojung and Baekhyun. Taeyeon knew about her husband’s plan to fake his death, but why?

“Oh darling, we need the money, remember? Now that we don’t have to share it, you can send your mother to the very best hospital.”

It just makes Soojung cry harder. “Baekhyun, I wish I didn’t help you…We should turn ourselves in, the guilt is killing me Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun’s grin slides off his face as he circles around her. When he is standing behind her, he unwraps the tie around his neck and Junhee gasps when she realises what he is going to do. Before she can blink, Baekhyun wraps the tie around Soojung’s neck and pulls at both ends. Junhee bursts out of the booth as Soojung starts thrashing in Baekhyun’s deathly hold.

Baekhyun hears Junhee running towards him and he grins, “If it isn’t our little Holmes.” He tightens the grip around Soojung’s neck, whose face is slowly losing colour now. “One step more, and I break her neck Junhee.”

Junhee licks her lip, hoping to the dear god that Yifan steps in or something. But he probably didn’t even see Baekhyun coming. She decides to stall and distract, so she speaks, “So, why did you kill your brother?”

Baekhyun shrugs but it works, the grip loosens a little, “Taehyung was a deadbeat brother anyway. I lured him here with the promise of money and then we killed him.”

“We?”

“Me and Jongdae.”

Junhee’s eyes widen. “Jongdae? He was involved too?”

Baekhyun laughs, “Oh honey, everyone was! Me, Soojung here, Jongdae, Taeyeon and Siwon too!”

“Oh my god, did you kill Siwon then?”

Baekhyun laughs louder, “Oh god no! That idiot killed himself alright. I stole that suicide note. Can you believe he wrote down everything in it? That fucking bastard! He wanted the money in the funds too. But then he remembered he is a man of god and not a greedy lowlife like the rest of us.” He shakes his head as he chuckles, “What a loser.”

“And Jongdae? Why kill your co-conspirator?”

“He got greedier. Of course, then I learned he and my dearly departed wife were fucking behind my back. Can you believe?”

Junhee glances down at Soojung, who has passed out, Junhee hopes. Soojung slumps to the ground and Baekhyun pouts down at her. He murmurs, “Pity, she was such a good lay too. So pathetic, so needy. Spurned by Jongdae, despised by her mother, her brother indifferent and her sister-in-law from hell…”

Baekhyun inches towards Junhee. He cracks his neck as he says, “Your turn now my lovely little detective.”

Junhee gasps but she turns around and runs by the side of the pews till she finds the stairs leading to the roof. She takes two at a time and she hears Baekhyun chasing after her. She bursts through the door and for the first time in her life, she gets perhaps why her father doesn’t want her to do this.

There is nowhere to hide on the roof but Junhee prays Yifan is listening because she reaches the edge and shouts as loudly as she can, “Yifan, help!”

To her relief, Yifan had been pacing in the courtyard, ignoring Junhee’s order to stay inconspicuous, so he hears her. Before he can ask what’s going on, hands reach up to wrap around her neck and pull her back. He gasps, the killer is here!

He runs into the chapel and finds the prostrate body of Soojung. He finds her chest still rising up and down, so he forgets her for the moment and races towards the roof. He finds Junhee and the killer locked in a less than friendly embrace. The man has his hands wrapped around Junhee’s throat and she is trying her best to throw punches and kicks at the man’s torso and legs.

Yifan shouts, “Hey!”

The man turns around and the bloodlust in his eyes has Yifan almost stepping back in fear of his own life for a moment, but then he remembers the man is trying to hurt Junhee and inches forward, fingers clenching into fists. However, Junhee uses the man’s momentary distraction and knees him in his groin. The resulting squelching noise even makes Yifan grimace but then Junhee lands a solid punch on the man’s face and he stumbles back, clutching his now profusely bleeding nose.

The wall around the roof isn’t very high, so as the man stumbles back, he hits the end a little too hard, loses his balance and goes toppling over the edge. Both Junhee and Yifan gasp and rush forward. They find Baekhyun on the ground groaning in pain, his leg twisted to the side. Junhee heaves as she turns to look at Yifan, “Guess we should call the cops.”

Yifan doesn’t know if he wants to laugh or cry. He sees the bruises around her neck and loses all control of his limbs as he pulls her into his arms. She fits snuggly under his chin and he holds her close, feeling her breath tickle his neck and her chest pushing into his. She wraps her arms around his waist and inhales deeply. It is over for good. Case solved then.

 

A few days later, Junhee is waiting for Yifan in front of her house. She is dressed in far muted down colours today. She went with Minseo’s advice and put on her pleated baby pink and powder blue skirt and a pink polo shirt. She finished off the outfit with a light blue blazer and matching socks and white loafers. She decided to keep her hair down, just pinned to the side and put minimal make-up.

Baekhyun and Soojung both survived but now are going to jail anyway—Baekhyun for voluntary manslaughter and Soojung for being an accomplice. Junhee spent hours in the police station with Yifan, explaining her theory to the Chief. She told them everything that Baekhyun had told her in the chapel. The Chief commended her greatly; even Sehun complimented her, though he asked for no more murders to happen around her because he cannot deal with her badgering him. Yifan and Junhee were finally able to leave in the afternoon, and as they parted ways in front of her house, Junhee lightly kissed his cheek. Yifan, as expected, turned all shades of red as he walked away.

Yifan shows up within five minutes of her waiting and he looks very handsome in his forest green corduroy coat and grey flared pants. He has actually combed his hair down and Junhee can’t help but grin at that. Tonight is their first official date, and with her father’s blessings, Junhee knows there will be more dates too in the future.

Yifan comes closer and leans down, kissing her cheek. Junhee blushes as he murmurs, “You look amazing.”

Junhee cups his face as she whispers back, “You too mister.”

Her favourite gummy smile makes an appearance and he crooks his elbow. Junhee winds her arm through it and smiles up at him, “So, shall we?”

Yifan chuckles, “We shall.”


End file.
